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You may also want to check the permissions of the private key on the server. If its world-readable or executable it will throw a fit. I usually chmod the directory to 700 and the file to 600.

Those are the correct perms. It will refuse to use the key if the folder or key file are so much as group readable, IIRC.
You can also use the -v switch for ssh to see what's happening with the connection and authentication if that's not it.